Refrigerator



Jan. Z, 1932. J, C, STATON 1,840,612

REFRIGERATOR Filed Jan. 9, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l J. C, STATON Jan. 12, 1932.

REFRIGERATOR Filed Jan. 9. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 u mm a my gw M Patented Jan. 12, 1932 roei-rac. snaren,

PATENT OFFICE F ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIG-NOR TO THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, OIE' ATLANTA., GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE REFRIGERATOR Application filed January 9, 1929. Seria-1 No. 331,168.

The invention relates to bottle refrigerators and has as an object the provision of a device for cooling bottles or other containers as of soft drinks, and enabling ready access ,5 to the same for dispensing purposes.

1t is a 4further object of the invention to provide a device of thev class referred to that y ma be knocked down for transportation.

t is a further object of the invention to w provide such a device having means for holding container racks to make the bottles or the like carried thereby readily accessible for replacements.

lit is afurther object of the invention to M provide a device of this class wherein the heat insulation is protected from the effect of sweating tending to reduce its etliciency.

llt is a further object of the invention to provide a device which will be automatically drained when put into service, as at the beginning of a day, and will not drip thereafter whereby continuous connection to a drain is unnecessary. v

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention and wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view; Fig. 2 is a plan view partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the upper portion only on line 4 4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section on line 5 5 of Fig. 3. f

As shown the device comprises a box 10 formed of porous compressed cellulosic heat insulating material, and desirably having a thickness of the walls of substantially one and five-eighths inches. The desirable thickness for the walls of the box has been determined by a large number of experiments whereby it is found that a less thickness than that named is insufficient and that an increase of that thickness does not improve results in any measure comparable with the added expense.

The said box is constructed by nailing toget her slabs of material using rust-proof na1ls,screws, or the like, and the assembled box is then dipped into a water-proofing material, such as asphalt, to impregnate the surface of the insulating material and to form a coating upon the surface.

The side and end` surfaces of the box 10 are shown as covered with metal plates 11, which are secured to the box by being placed against the asphalt while fresh, which plates may be exposed upon the outside of!4 the device when kin use and may carry advertising material.

n The bottom of the box 10 is self-support lng between its edges and requires no frame members therebeneath.

To hold the box 10 there are shown upper leg sections 12, 13, 14, 15, each upper leg section being supported upon a lower leg section 16, 17, 18, 19.

The connection between the leg sections may take various forms but for purposes of illustration there is shown a loop 2() carried bythe lower le section and a reduced portion 21 carried y the upper leg section ttin r into the angle of the lower leg section an( behind the loop 20.

In order to make the frame of the device such that it may be knocked down for shipment, the sections 12,13, are permanently connected by an angle 22 and the sections 14,

15 by an angle 23, and the end members 24,

25 are removably connected to thesections 12, 13, and 14, 15.

I The side ed es, of the box 10 rest upon the horizontal anges of angles 22, 23 and the end edges of the box rest upon horizontal flanges of the angles 26, 27, which are shown as formed integral with the lower portion of the end members 24, 25. To support the upper ends of the racks for containers 28 in an inclined position, one of which is shown in place in Fig. 3, the end members'24, 25 are shown as connected by means ofa strip 29, desirably formed as an inverted angle, the

ends of which are permanently connected to y are formed at their upper endges with channels 32, 33 for engagement with the lower cornersof racks 28 to support the same in the position shown and the sections 17, 18 and 16, 19 respectively are separably connected by means of bars 34, 35 respectively.

Within the box 10 there is shown a metal casing 36 which is formed fluid tight and the edges of which rise above the edges of boxk 10, as indicated at 37. The upper ends of leg sections 12-15 also extend above the edges of boX 10 as clearly shown, and to coverv the space between the upper edges of the casing 36 and the ends of legs, there is shown a rectangular frame 38 having downwardly extending flanges to overlap theedges of the casing 36, the space 39 thus provided above the edges of the box 10 serving to prevent sweating or the condensation of moisture upon the upper edges of the box 10, the presence of which moisturewould interfere withthe efliciency of the heat insulation. The

flanges of frame 38 are shown as secured to the leg sections 12-15 inclusive by means of cap screws 40. v

The advertising matter upon the plates'll is liable to become rapidly defaced and for the purpose of ready renewal thereof, there are shown plates 41 which may be sli ped between the plates 11 and the angles o the leg sections 1'2-15' inclusive, .which lates 41 .may be easily removed by remova 4 of the frame 38.

To provide ready access to the contents of kresults from the melting of ice therein, there is shown a siphon comprising a lower portion 49 and an upper curved section 50,' each screwed into an interiorly threaded collar 51 secured about an opening in the bottom of the casing 36, the portion 49 passing through an opening 52 in the angle 29.

The interna-l diameter of the curved portion is made of such a dimension that when liquid rises to the level of the lower surface of its bore at the highest point of the curve, the surface tension within the bore will start the Siphon into action thereby causing theliquid in the casing to be exhausted' down to the level of the end 43 of the Siphon. Such internal diameter is found to be substant'ially one-eighth 'of an inch. lf the siphon were larger than this size there would merely take place a steady drainage when the liquid arrived at the level referred to without the emptying action desired.

In the operation of the device the ice left in the device at the end of the day, or other period of use, will have melted during the night, thus-providing a body of water in the casing. When the deviceis to be placed into operation it is filled with the containers, as bottles, and the dimensions of the casing are desirably such that the bottles may stand upright therein with their caps exposed in the manner provided bv the sanitary laws of many States. When the device has been filled with bottles, cracked ice is placed about the upper portions of the bottles and between them and the ice so placed will raise the level of the water in the casing thus setting the siphon into action to draw the water down to the level of the end 53 of the siphon, a receptacle being placed under the portion 49 of the siphon tocatch the water. When the siphon has ceased flowing the device may be Wheeled to any portion of the sales room since the ice that will melt thereafter will not be sufficient to a ain cause the deviceto drain for a considera le period of time, usually throughout the day.

As bottles are removed the ice will float in the water caused bv its melting and as the ice melts the level of thewater will not be raised, therebyresulting in the action above described.

.The presence of a considerable v'lume of water in the casing is desirable as the water so present has the temperature of the ice floating therein and thus cools the bottles imymersed therein.

Therdevice may be used as a serve-yourself dispenser, the customer removing a bottle from the dispenser and paying the cashier. For the convenience of the customer a cap remover 54 is shown secured to the outside of the dispenser and a receptacle 55 is shown to catch the caps as they are removed from the bottles.

Minor changes may be made in the physical embodiment of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention, within the scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A refrigerator comprising, in combination, an insulating contamer, angle iron legs each embracing a corner of sa1d container and spaced outwardly o therefrom, angle frame members each having a flange under# lying a corner of said container and a vertical flange spaced from the lower edge of a side thereof, removable plates inserted in the spaces between said legs and vertical flanges and the sides of saidy container, an open frame supported by the upper ends of said legs and having outer flanges overlapping said removable plates and a heat insulating cover resting upon said frame serving as a closure for said container.

2. refrigerator comprising, in combination, a. frame comprising angle iron legs,

each leg comprising upper and lower separable sections, telescoping connections carried by the meeting ends of said sections, upper and lower horizontal members'connecting 5 adjacent legs, said upper members formed with inwardly facing angles comprising vertical and horizontal flanges, a heat insulating box resting on said horizontal Han es and its corners embraced by said vertical anges and 10 by the angles of said upper leg sections, a rectangular frame of downwardly open channel material covering the upper edges of aid box, and a cover supported by said rame.

15 JOHN C. STATON.A 

